Apparatus for reducing ores.



BEST AVAILABLE COP.

' R. S. WILE.

APPARATUS FOR REDUCING ORES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.3. 1914.

Patented Sept. 22, 1914 Q INVENTOR @xm A Q6 (1%.

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Specification of Letters Patent. I ,Wlliflliliiflfll filed December 15, 1918, Serial No. 806,692. Divided and this application filed February Iatented Sept. 22, 1914.

y .3, 1014. Serial n; 516,194.

Toelhehoiri it-ntwy epncerrtfh Be it known that I, Ramon!) S WILE, a citizen of the United States, residing at State of eimsyl-vania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Pittsbur%h, in the county of Allegheny and Reducing Ores, of which the followingis a' I full,- clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this spe cation, in which the figure is a vertical sec ion of one form of apparatus embodying m invention.

invention relates to t e reduction of ones, and is designed to provide a novel Heretofore, in such construction and arrangement of electric furnace in which oresinay'be reduced to mattes, metals or other elements or compound$ in acheap and eflicient manner.

The present invention is a division of my Y ding application Serial No. 806,692, filed ber 15, -1912..

.' One object of my invention lies in doing away with the difliculty arising in such furnaces, owmg to the. varying resistance in the coke, charcoal, or'other fuel surrounding the electrodes.

- Another. obect is to retard the rapid 'de' struction of t e electrodes and their breakmg. A still further object is to obtain a more the electrodes. The wear on the electrodes is rapid and severe and the are liable to break. Also there is chemical action between the charge and the electrodes which project a considerable distance into the crucible. I avoid these difficulties by providing a furnace with a relatively deep crucible adapted to hold a deep bath of molten slag, the crucible being enlarged to cross secfurnaces particularlytional area with respect to the stack portion of the furnace through which the charged material is fed; and I so arrange the upper electrodes that they will contact with the upper portion of the slag bath while being out'of contact with the charge. No packing of coke or charcoal is needed around the electrodes, because the heat is generated in the slag. This heat is, therefore, much more uniform. The wear on the electrodes is greatly reduced, and uniform action of the furnace is obtained;

In the drawings, in which I show one form of furnace embodying my invention, 2 represents the shaft or stuck portion of the furnace which may be of any desirable type, and 3 the enlarged crucible into which the charge descends from the stack. I have shown three electrodes, the upper two 4, l, of which project inthrough holes in the roof .of the crucible and may be adjusted by the rack-and-pinion mechanism shown at 5. The lower electrode 6 projects through the bottom of the crucible and contacts with the reduced material. Any number of electrodes may, of course, be used, either in the top or the bottoln.

I may employ diiierent types of electric current. For example, in the form shown, I may usea three-phase current, one phase connected to each electrode, or I may use a two-phase current, the upper electrodes beingeach connected to one phase and the lower electrode to a common return conductor.

In the upper part of the crucible, near its connection with the shaft, is provided a slag outlet 7, and a tap-hole 8 is provided for the reduced material from the bottom through the side of the crucible. Twyers 9 are provided in the bosh of the shaft through which air may be blown in, if desired to burn the carbon-monoxid rising from the charge of ore, coke or other fuel and flux. I

In starting the furnace. I first lower the upper electrodes until they contact with some conducting material in the bottom of trodes gradually raised until the crucible is the crucible, so that the current will flow ill) BEST AVAILABLE COP" practically full of molten slag bath. The charge in the stack descends into this bath as reduction occurs, and the reduction continues through the stack and crucible. The.

molten reduced material collects at the bot; tom of the crucible, where it tapped ofi' in the usual manner, the heat being obtained by the resistance from the current passing, at least, partially, in a vertical direction through the deep slag bath. As the slag increases, it is tapped off through the slag hole at the top of the crucible to keep the bath at a practically constant depth;

As the upper electrodes enter the crucible, only a small distance, they are subjected to the gases to only a slight extent, and hence their life is relatively long. The charge -material descending into the bath does: not contact with them, and hence there is no chemical action between the two '1 and no pressure from the charge on the electrodes tending to break them. Little manipulation of the electrodes is re quired as they will-wear very slowly." The operation goes on continuously, the charge being supplied at the top of the stack and the reduced material being tapped out at the bottom of the crucible. 1

The advantages of my invention result fromthe provision of a furnace having a relatively deep crucible and. in which the electrodescan be brought into contact withthe upper portion of the slag bath, while being kept entirelxlaway from the charge. I

prefer that in 1 cases the crucible shall have a depth greater than the diameter of the bottom opening of the shaft into the crucible. Also in the arrangement of the electrodes by which the maximum heating effect is obtained within the body of the,

bath, the heat being uniformly distributed. When the tri-phase electric current is used, the current connected to the different electrodes can be of different voltages, thus forming means for accurately controlling and regulatin the heat in different portions of the hath. I prefer to. normally separate the upper and lower electrodes by vertical distances greater than the diameter of the feed opening into the crucible, and

- that all the electrodes be at substantially equal distances from each other. By this arrangement of the electrodes, a much more uniform heating action can be obtained. The cost of operation is greatly reduced, owing to the small consumption of electrodes, and any suitable carbonaceous material may be employed for the reduction of the charge, this, of course, being mixed With the charge as it is needed, in the usual man- I do not desire to limit myself to the particular construction and arrangement of the parts which I have shown and described, as various changes may be made therein within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, Without departing from my invention.

I claim:

1. An electric furnace having ashaft and" an enlarged crucible at the base of the shaft, said crucible having a depth greater than the diameter of the bottom opening of the shaft into the crucible, upper and lower elecf trodes in the crucible, and means for maintaining a bath level in the crucible sufiiciently high to cause it to surround and protect the portions of the upper electrodes which are within the crucible; substantially as described. i.

2. An electric furnace having a shaft and an enlarged crucible at the base of the shaft, saidv crucible having a depth greater than the diameter of the bottom opening of'the shaft into the crucible, upper and lower electrodes, in the crucible, the upper. electrodes being movable. relatively to the lower electrode or electrodes, and means for maintaining a bath level in the crucible. sumciently high to causeit to surround and pro- .tect the-portions of the upper electrodes.

which are within the crucible; substantially shaft into the crucible, up er an lower electrodes in the crucible, t e upper elec' trodes extending into the crucible at points to one side of the shaft, and being movable vertically, and means for maintainmg a bath level in the crucible sufficiently high to cause it to surround and protect the portions ,of the upper electrodes which are within the crucible; substantially as described.

4. An electric :furnace having a crucible provided with a feed-in-openingat its top, and having at least two up er electrodes and at least one lower electrodb, the upper and lower electrodes being normally separated from each other by vertical distances greater than the diameter of said feed opening, all

the electrodes being normally at substantially equal distances from each other; substantially as described.

5. An electric furnace having a crucible provided with a feed-in-Opening at its top, said crucible having at least two upper electrodesand at least onelower electrode, which are all normally spaced at substantially equal distances from each other, and are connected to different conductors ofa multi-phase circuit; substantially as described.

(3. An electric furnace having a crucible provided with a feedin-opening at its top, and having upper and lower electrodes, the upper and lower electrodes being separated from each other by vertical distances greater Oopiu otthis patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Eaterits,

Washington, D. 0.

BEST AVAILABLE COP" than the diameter of said feed opening, and I and are connected to difi'erent conductors of means whereby the bath in said crucible may be maintained at a level sufficiently high to completely surround the portions of the upper electrodes which are within the crucible; substantially as described.

7." An electric furnace havinga crucible provided with a i'ced-in-opening at its top, said crucible having upper and lower elec trodes, which are all normally spaced at substantially equal distances from each other,

a multi-phase circuit, the upper electrodes being out of contact with the charge, which enters the crucible through said feed-in- 15 opening; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

' RAYMOND S. WILE.

\Vitnesses:

H. M. Conwm,

GEO. H. PARMELEE. 

